


Plastic (From the Dollar Store)

by onlyangels



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Happy Tony Stark, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a little bit of internalized issues and intrusive thoughts, at least what i think is tooth rotting, kinda sassy pepper, nothing major, proposal, sappy romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 10:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16239341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyangels/pseuds/onlyangels
Summary: Tony Stark doesn’t believe in being happy, but he believes in a life with Pepper Potts. (and being with her just might be happiness)





	Plastic (From the Dollar Store)

Slow motion violence and plastic personalities showcased in Tony’s life. His plastic ring from the dollar store sat on the dresser untouched. The real diamond one sat on a table top downstairs. Throwing it out seemed tempting. Should he order roses or a heart shaped pizza? Maybe some champagne that sprays confetti as it opens? Tony sat watching the dresser, his mind cascading into pits of disaster and how this evening could go wrong. He decided yes to the roses. He might have said yes to the pizza and to the stupid champagne too, but no one besides him, Pepper, and maybe Happy had to know about that. 

Pepper walked in to the Beverly Hills home (Malibu had proved to be unattractive to say the least) and immediately took off her heels. Tony wasn’t there to see but the house echoed. What he wouldn’t give to have it echo with laughter. Pepper laughed like the moon was lighting the entire world at once. 

He listened as Pepper came up the stairs, his nerves were gone for a moment. She was in the doorway, she was smiling at him. He grinned back and walked to her. He was chasing what he wanted in the slowest way possible. 

A kiss and a greeting later and Pepper started to describe her day. He interrupted to suggest things, she wrote some down on a pad she kept by the bed. The nerves were back as Tony looked to the ring, purple with a sparkly false gem. He got up and grabbed it, squeezing for some reassurance. They were so settled in each other’s presence.

“Pepper,” He twitched his fingers around the ring, she looked up at him and smiled. 

“Tony,” She said in the kind of low tone that makes you want to laugh, so Tony did, he laughed and her grin showed teeth. He sat next to her. 

“You’ve always wanted to kick my ass, so tonight’s your chance.” Pepper cocked her head slightly.

“As long as I actually get to kick your ass, whatever you have planned will be great.” 

“Ha ha, Pepper. But no, I wanted to say something.” She put away the pad of paper and her hands settled on to the comforter. 

“You want a family, you want a life, and a home and a dog and every little thing in between. You remember us talking about stupid things while drunk and you want what’s best for us and I can’t give it to you sometimes but I want to try, I want to try for a long time.” 

Pepper leaned into Tony, putting her head on his shoulder. 

“So what are you gonna do about that, Stark?” 

“I’m gonna marry you.” He showed her the purple ring, he heard Happy downstairs, setting up the roses and pizza. 

“Are you now?” She looked at the ring and up to Tony from her perch on his shoulder. 

“Yes I am, if you’ll have me.” 

“Tony, you’re a dumbass.” She said deadly monotone. 

“Pardon?” 

“I already have you, so of course the answer is yes, honestly, you could’ve started planning the wedding and just let me show up in a gown. You are my end game Tony Stark.” She lifted her head and pushed his side lightly. Tony looked at her stunned and held up the ring. 

“Wear it, maybe?” 

“Of course, Tony. As long as I still get to kick your ass later.” She took the ring, and admired the way the plastic shined dimly in the light, but her eyes sparkling with some kind of immense joy. 

“It’s kinda perfect.” She said after a minute. She extended her hand and Tony extended his. They met in the middle and she pulled him to the stairs, their bare feet soft on the wood. Happy was nowhere to be seen, gone and leaving the smells of the things he left behind.

Pepper reached the counter by the kitchen first, her hands reaching to touch the flowers, not just roses however as turned out to be a bouquet with bunches of baby’s breath littered throughout. The contrast looked oddly fitting, if a bit contrasting, as things in Tony’s life usually seemed to be. 

So Pepper smelled the roses and they ate pizza while sitting on the counter, watching the perfectly good bar stools go to waste. At the end of the counter was a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses. Pepper slid over to grab the bottle and moved to open it. Her waist stretching over Tony as he leaned back and smiled at her. Smiling felt like getting off a rollercoaster that night, it was all fresh and soaring. 

“A toast to romanticized romance?” Tony suggested, picking up the glasses. 

“Sounds accurate enough,” And so the champagne opened with a pop of metallic multicolored confetti and the evening went to plan. Can it be called luck when the rest of everyone’s life never goes to plan? Could someone accept something truly good happening in their life? Or would the replays of past pains over throw their current joy?

Tony didn’t bother to think about that. He wanted to breathe without the weight on his chest. 

As the evening grew darker, the real ring was left forgotten by the flowers, instead the plastic one sat on Pepper’s finger which wrapped around her flute of champagne. They had gotten off the counter and she was busy spinning in Tony’s arms. No music was playing but they danced around, listening to the silence of their home, only filled with their gentle laughter as they breathed out. 

A tipsy night of tipsy dancing and lukewarm pizza. Tony Stark watched from behind his eyes, his life was fitting together for just one “once upon a time”. He watched Pepper in slow motion, again and again. She danced in bare feet and smiled with teeth. 

Tony Stark allowed himself to be happy and filled with something he couldn’t quite place, but some could call love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I’m pretty into getting feedback so any comments would be appreciated!


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